Farmers utilize a wide variety of tillage implements to prepare soil for planting, such as disc rippers, cultivators, and/or the like. To make tillage operations as efficient as possible, very wide swaths may be covered by extending wing sections on either side of a central frame section of a tillage implement. Typically, each wing section includes one or more frame members, a plurality of ground-engaging tools coupled to the frame member(s), and one or more associated support wheels. Each wing section is typically configured to be pivoted relative to the central frame section between a work position, at which the wing section is positioned adjacent to the ground, and a transport position, at which the wing section is pivoted upwardly relative to the central frame section away from the ground.
To transition the wing sections from the work position to the transport position, a folding operation is performed in which the wing sections are moved via control of the operation of the associated hydraulic cylinders to allow the wing sections to be folded upwardly relative to the central frame section of the implement. A reverse unfolding operation may be performed to transition the wing sections from the transport position to the work position in which the operation of the hydraulic cylinders is controlled to pivot the wing sections downwardly relative to the central frame section back towards the ground. When performing the unfolding operation, conventional folding systems typically utilize proximity switches or potentiometers to monitor the position of the wing sections relative to the central frame section. However, such position monitoring often provides inadequate feedback for accurately and efficiently controlling the actuation of the wings. Moreover, since these conventional systems rely on detecting the relative positions between the wing sections and the center frame section, such systems do not provide a direct indication of the positioning of the wing sections relative to the ground, which can lead to issues with effectively controlling the wing actuation.
Accordingly, an improved system and method for controlling the actuation of wing sections of an agricultural implement during an unfolding operation that addresses one or more issues in the prior art would be welcomed in the technology.